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FAV Mark V Dragon
|image= |origin=Miach Moon, Falkirk, Gaelic System |type=Land battleship |service= - |usedby=Free Commonwealth of Falkirk |wars=*Falkirian War for Independence * |designer=*Isaac Clarkeson *Branca Pereira |designdate= |manufacturer=*Stirling Heavy Machinery *Miach Combat Systems |variants= |weight=104 tonnes |length=16.5 meters (54.1 ft) |width=11.3 meters (36.9 ft) |height=9.6 meters (31.7 ft) |crew=6 (driver, 3 gunners, engineer, tank commander) |armor=14-37 centimetres layered blend of Titanium-A1 battleplate and/or Bismuth-impregnated Tungsten plating |main_armament=*M6RF 110mm rifled cannons (3) |secondary_armament=*M41 Surface-to-Air missile pods (2) *M29 "Viper" 12.7mm machine guns (4) *M481 20mm autocannons (2) |engine=Hydrogen ICE |speed=55km/h }} The FAV Mark V Land Fortress, also known by Falkirian personnel as the Dragon and by the as the Falkirian Grizzly, was a super-heavy tank/land battleship that was utilised by the Free Commonwealth of Falkirk during the Falkirian War for Independence. Developed as an upscale to the infamous , the Grizzly was designed as a multi-role tool to counter the numerical superiority the insurgents would face from the . It was intended to defeat any four UNSC tanks, as well as their support elements from infantry and light vehicles, when deployed in pairs. To accomplish this, the Dragon features a triple-barreled turret that fires both 120mm rounds and specialised subcalibre shells at shockingly long-range. Should the engagement get up close, the Dragon has a very thick hull and a close-range countermeasures to remain a punishing threat even when deployed up-close. The Dragon was first mentioned in reports from the as early as , when it was confused with the Grizzly tanks in first. However, it would not be formally identified until the UNSC's invasion of Falkirk in . It would wreck devastating casualties on the UNSC's armies, both through direct confrontation and deadly surprise attacks thanks to its incorporation of Carbon Nanotube paint. Becoming the heaviest threat against and tanks alike, the Dragon would nevertheless prove extremely-vulnerable to air attacks from GA-TL1 Longswords and orbiting warships and took losses once aerial superiority was lost. When Falkirk signed the peace treaty that ended the Gaelic War, they accepted certain limitations placed on their military's size and naval construction, including a ban placed on production of the Mark V Dragon. Nevertheless, Dragons would be slowly refined and produced in secret. With the fall of the mid-rim fortress-worlds around , among the first reforms to strengthen Falkirian bargaining position was made when the UNSC allowed them to manufacture the tanks. They would see some scattered deployments, but their shining moment came during the Siege of Falkirk. They would directly engage their opponents in open-field battle, shrugging off the barrages from and obliterating before they could deploy their troops. Ultimately, even these powerful vehicles weren't enough to stop the Covenant. During the final evacuations many, if not all, the remaining Dragons were abandoned by their crews. Despite continued rumors from the Falkirian migrant fleet, no more examples would ever be seen again. Operational History Development Although the greatest strides in it's development would take place in , the origins would actually be found nearly a decade before in . Falkirk's mobilisation for the upcoming war was well-underway, with factories churning out tanks and transports of all sizes. However, while their current lines of light and medium vehicles could comfortably contend with their counterparts in the UNSC, their strategists predicted that their lack of a heavy tank could cost them any open-field battles that would later typify the upcoming war. Satisfied with their submission for an infantry tank, the Falkirian military would approach Sterling Heavy Machinery with the contract. Initially, development of the future tank would be headed by Isaac Clarkeson, who assisted with designing the Wildcat. Unfortunately, he was wholly unfit for leading the project. Under his leadership, some amount of the budget would continuously be siphoned away, with later accusations of corruption using evidence dated to . Cost overruns were a frequent affair, especially as the Falkirian generals did not know exactly what they want - a heavily-armed but still speedy tank destroyer, or a mobile fortress. By the time the generals came to a decision in , Clarkeson's team had finally created a prototype for testing. Although additional tanks were being constructed, these had to be scuttled and scrapped when the generals rejected the design for numerous reasons, relating to performance, an unacceptable amount of overmassing, and issues with the turret which failed to provide the necessary level of destruction they sought. Specifications Armament While the FAV Mark I Wildcat was deemed well-armed by the standards of both infantry fighting vehicles and light tanks at the time, the Falkirian admiralty knew that they were unlikely to stand a chance without a heavily-armed tank model to engage the UNSC in the open field. As a result, the Dragon sits as the complete opposite as the Wildcat, as it carried so many weapons that it became a question about whenever all of them were necessary. The primary armament lies within its three characteristic 110mm rifled cannons, arranged in a horizontal fashion on top of the main turret. By themselves, the turret housing was very impressive, capable of sustaining a maximum fire rate of fifty rounds per minute and rated to fire at targets up to fifteen kilometres away. The turret base was well-armoured, capable of withstanding up to fourteen 90mm HEAT shells until being damaged beyond repair. The cannons typically fired 110mm high-explosive phosphorous shells and kinetic penetrators in alternating barrels. Both shells were capable of being fired with a high degree of accuracy and speed, thanks to a large amount of ignition grain and the design of the barrel itself. This was done to defeat the Ceramic-Titanium armour found on most UNSC tanks; firstly, the explosive shell creates cracks in the brittle ceramic portion, weakening it significantly enough for the next slug to penetrate the enemy armour. Mounted on top of the turrets in two armoured hatches were two M481 20mm autocannons. Built for anti-infantry duties but later turned into an ad hoc defence against aircraft, these potent machine guns were positioned to provide additional fire support to the main guns. Maintaining a firerate of about 320 rounds per minute, these weapons could take out on their own, or effortlessly turn opposing Marines into grounded mince. They have an effective range of 1.75 kilometres and a maximum range of four kilometres, which meant being in the sightlines of the Dragon typically put the target in the reach of these autocannons. Remarks :"So you know how they made the Grizzly by asking, 'how can we take a Scorpion and make it BIGGER'? Well, guess how they made this..." Category:Gaelic Saga Category:Insurrection